The Christmas season brings with it an abundance of memories. From the excitement and anticipation that we felt as children to the joy of watching our own children and grandchildren at Christmas. But along with the happy memories, there are also those that are tinged with sadness and longing for those no longer with us. Here, Ann Deveau shares with us the pain of losing her beloved brother, finding a way to honour his memory and working her way back to a place of comfort and joy.
A tree filled with memories!
My brother absolutely loved Christmas.
Bob taught his little boys that it was the birthday of Jesus and always put up a nativity scene before he bought and decorated their Christmas tree. He chose gifts thoughtfully for family and friends, loved to munch on "chicken bones" candy while the turkey was roasting, and belted out off-key Christmas songs such as "Little Drummer Boy."
He died of cancer at age 45.
The first Christmas he was gone, I wondered how I would get through such an emotional time while grieving. He was my only sibling, and I missed him terribly.
A wise friend suggested that I do something special to honour Bob's memory, so I made a charitable donation of library books in his name. Nice but not enough.
Then an idea struck me. I would create a Bob tree!
I bought a two-foot artificial tree, some white lights, and started gathering ornaments meaningful to his life. For example, I hung tiny photos of his boys on the tree, a crocheted lighthouse because we're from Nova Scotia, a Boston Red Sox ornament because it was his favourite team, glittery red balls because he loved that colour, a miniature manger scene, a little drummer boy, a book because he was a voracious reader, a soccer ball ornament because he played and coached. Well, you get the idea!
That first Christmas without Bob, I sobbed as I placed each item on the little tree. The tears flowed annually for several years. I kept adding more Bob-specific ornaments. It became my ritual every December, and it brought me great comfort.
It still does. But now, after 22 years, I smile more than I cry as I trim the Bob tree.
- by Ann Deveau
Read another Christmas reflection about Ann and her brother, PA-RUM-PUM-PUM-PUM, which was shared in 2020.
Ann Deveau's "Bob Tree"
We are pleased to welcome Darin Lewis as our new Cathedral Sexton. He began work on 01 October and has been working closely with the Property Committee and Cathedral staff members to learn about our buildings and programs.
He brings a wealth of experience to the position, along with a pleasant nature, lots of ideas, and a curiosity to learn. If you see him, please say hello and introduce yourself!
Originally born in PEI, Darin moved to Fredericton in the early ’70s and met the love of his life, Heather. They have two children, Connor and Kiana.
He has a background in maintenance and security, and looks forward to many years working with the Cathedral staff.
This story was shared by a member of our congregation, Andreas Decken.
Photo: Young servers assisting with worship in spring 2024. The crucifer is in the middle, holding the processional cross.
Sometime in the early 1990's, I was living in Hamilton, Ontario as a graduate student. One winter, I decided stay in Hamilton and not go home to Germany to visit friends and family as I usually did. That meant that I was going to spend Christmas by myself. Luckily, a friend of mine invited me to spend part of the holidays with her family. On Christmas Eve, we went to her Catholic church in Oakville, where her mother was very active.
Her Mom had a long conversation with the priest, who came over to greet me. He then told me that the cross bearer had not arrived yet and asked if I was willing to step into the role. Of course I agreed, and I actually thought that it would be rather funny for a Protestant boy to carry the cross at the Christmas procession in a Catholic church.
All was fine until the priest explained the details. He said, " Andreas, you know that I have to follow the cross no matter where you take it, so please do not walk out of the church as I will have no choice but to leave as well."
I was terrified of taking a wrong turn, but of course everything worked out well. It is one of those stories you never forget, and it is my "Story of the Cross".
At the Cathedral, servers assist with a variety of duties during worship, including carrying the cross (the crucifer). Anyone interested in becoming a server (youth or adult) should contact the Cathedral Office or the Dean.
This summer, we are pleased to have Angus McDonell working as a Cathedral Tour Guide. He is working with Alex LeBlanc.
It’s my first time working as tour guide for the Cathedral and as a tour guide in general. I have been enjoying the work quite a lot. I love giving tours and learning the history of the Cathedral, for example, how it was built, who has been here, and so on.
I find the wide variety of people who come to visit to be quite impressive. You meet people from all over, with a lot of them travelling from Europe and Asia. You get to know them, and that’s fascinating. It’s surprising that there are so many people who come from around the world.
The tour that stood out the most for me was three weeks ago. I met a man, who grew up in the same town as my father. He was familiar with the Cathedral because of his former posting in Oromocto. During our conversation, we realized that we were third or fourth cousins! We were interested in a lot of the same things, and I found it really enjoyable getting to meet him.
It has been really great, working as a Cathedral tour guide. I am not part of the congregation, so previously, I had only been there a couple of times and never long enough to actually look around. However, it’s an incredible building with a lot to see. I found it quite interesting learning the Cathedral’s history, and I found it even more interesting being able to share the history.
This fall, I will continue working on my political science degree, and in the future, I am planning to go to law school.
Filip Vanicek grew up in the lap of luxury. He and his family enjoyed a country estate and an ornate, five-storey building in the heart of Prague where they lived, along with much of his extended family.
“Our family were academics and lawyers,” he said. “My childhood was phenomenal, absolutely fantastic — until the Russians came."
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Read the full article, written by Gisele McKnight and published on the NB Anglican website on March 19, 2024.
In a letter dated 10 August, 2023, our Bishop has answered a request made by the Dean and the Bishop and Chapter to appoint Isabel Cutler deacon at Christ Church Cathedral. Our congratulations to Isabel and we look forward to having her once again part of the ministry team.
Isabel Cutler was ordained to Holy Orders as a Deacon in the Diocese of Western Newfoundland in July 2019. She and her husband Nathan, who was ordained to the Priesthood in August 2019, served in the Parish of Isle aux Mort, Margaree, FoxRoose on the southwest coast of Newfoundland for two years. This was a miraculous gift for Isabel, after a lifetime of serving Our Lord Jesus in a Lay capacity for most of her life.
Born, raised and educated in the UK, Isabel is aware of the strong Christian influence of her parents; the hospital environment and care of patients she lived alongside; the Anglo Catholic school she attended run by the Community of All Hallows; and the positive vocational attitude towards nursing as she did her general nurse training at St. George’s Hospital, London UK. In 1972 Isabel, armed with her State Registered Nurse, Midwifery and Public Health certificates and two years work experience, came for one year to work as a Public Health Nurse with the International Grenfell Association in St. Anthony, Newfoundland.
She met Nathan and they married in 1974 and had 47 happy years together. They welcomed Jenny, Andrew and Nicholas in quick succession and Isabel is very blessed to have six grandchildren. Fifteen years living in various parts of NL and then 30 years in Fredericton, NB with two years in the UK attending St. John’s College Nottingham where Isabel was able to audit theology courses alongside Nathan. All were times of formation of Isabel’s spiritual life especially in Fredericton. Always a member of Christ Church Cathedral, a longtime member of Mother’s Union, three times member of Bishop and Chapter, Chair of the Missions and Christian Education and Spiritual Growth Committees and then instrumental in starting, alongside a very positive team, the Health Ministry. Isabel held the first Parish Nurse position 2005-2015 while initially still employed as a Labour and Delivery nurse and with the Victorian Order of Nurses.
Isabel completed the Parish Nursing training programme in 2007. Both Isabel and Nathan went to “ACPO” and were accepted as Postulants for Ordination to the Priesthood. Isabel feels very blessed to have so many rich opportunities to have a close relationship with Jesus, through Cathedral and Diocesan programmes, spiritual direction for 25 years and through bible study and the diversity of worship.
It is now two years since Nathan died so very unexpectedly. Isabel is back in Fredericton near her sons and grandchildren whom she loves to spend time with. She likes to paint watercolours and to read, but time runs away! She feels very blessed in having her family close by and also loving friends. God is a God of Surprises as she realizes, at nearly 77 years old, He still has something for her to do as a Deacon. As Nathan used to say, “Life is Wonderful and Full of Wonder”. Alleluia.
- submitted by Isabel Cutler
In 2016, Isabel was featured in the NB Anglican, in an article written by Gisele McKnight. It highlights Isabel's presentation to the Anglican Church Women (ACW), reflecting on the people and places that have made an impact on her life. Read the article.
Alex LeBlanc is back with us for the summer of 2024, again in the position of Lead Tour Guide, working alongside Angus McDonell.
The article below was written in 2023 when Alex was working with Muriel Falkenstein.
Hi everyone!
I am so glad to be back working for the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton and of course, Christ Church Cathedral this summer. Many of you probably have seen me around, either as a tour guide or parishioner. Nevertheless, let me tell you all a little about me!
I was born in Moncton, and moved to Fredericton when I was nine. I am celebrating 10 years as a Frederictonian this year! I am Acadian, so I am fluent in English and French. If you know me, I am extremely proud of my Acadian culture. I am a recent graduate from Leo Hayes High School and am currently working on a bachelor’s degree at St. Thomas University, going into my second year.
Since I was young, I have been always devoted to serving God by volunteering in the church. I was baptized into the United Church in 2005 and have been volunteering at Nashwaaksis United Church as member of the Property Committee, and the Outreach Committee. I first came to CCC in the summer of 2016 as a guest who was interested in the history of the building. Of course, I was enlightened by an amazing tour from then Verger, Mr. Hank Williams! I had a keen interest in the bell tower and got a VIP tour of the tower from Eric Hadley. This would then progress into a volunteer role with the church.
Since 2017, I’ve been winding our 170-year-old clock. Did you know that it is a prototype for Big Ben in London? I was so interested in the Cathedral’s history in fact, I applied to be a tour guide in the summer of 2019. My first job! In 2020 and 2021, as many of you know, COVID-19 prevented us from keeping the Cathedral open for guided tours and concerts. I began working at Walmart on the Northside in 2020 and am still working there as of July 2023. Say hi if you see me in the produce department! Amazingly last year, I found out that CCC was hiring guides again, and I had to apply. After another amazing summer of tours, meeting lots of people, and hearing great music, I began my first year at St. Thomas University, making the Dean’s list.
Fast forward to this year. I was overjoyed when I got the call asking me to return for a third summer as a Lead Tour Guide! This is my first time in a supervisory role, and I am so thankful for the experience it is giving me. It always helps when you have amazing coworkers!
That’s just a little about me, and I hope to meet you all at some point this summer!
You can also read Alex's story from 2022.
